Pinnacle of Technology
by CoDFicCentral
Summary: "My friends and fellow scientists, I have created a weapon that will revolutionize Germany's firearms. I give you, the Wunderwaffe Die Glocke-2!" Edward announced.


Lower Silesia, Near Breslau, Germany

Waffenfabrik Der Riese

September 8, 1939

Dr. Ludvig Maxis coughed violently as he struggled to breathe in the polluted air of his workplace. He had opened the window to get a bit of fresh air to escape from his stuffy office…. but that didn't work out so well.

He managed to get a few whiffs in if he leaned in the right position, but other than that, it was the smokestacks and nearby cigarettes at work. He rubbed his eyes, reddened by the lack of sleep from the night before as he gazed down at the courtyard.

It was empty. A lot like many other things these days.

Instead of the usual bustling scientists down there, it was just the pavement and some scavenging birds. He looked up at the machine gun nests where several military-provided Wehrmacht soldiers were manning Maschinengewehr 34 (MG34)'s. Their eyes scanned the perimeter for anyone who dared to set foot in that facility.

He gave a nod to a particular nearby sentry, who was smoking a cigarette. He nodded back, his eyes immediately snapping back to the courtyard.

He coughed again as more toxic smoke filled his lungs and stung his eyes. He slammed the windows shut and fell into his leather chair tiredly, recovering from another coughing fit. He sighed and tried to think of something to clear the smoke out of his head as he rubbed his eyes.

Waffenfabrik Der Riese; an extremely secret factory located in Germany. This was his home. This was his life's work.

He was also the leader of Group 935, a just as secret group, filled with either the world's smartest, most innovative, or most dedicated workers from all over the planet. They lived and worked by their proud motto: "To improve the human condition."

That motto was currently empty, though, considering the fact they were out of ideas.

Years ago, he wasn't the leader of Group 935. Quite the opposite, in fact. He was more of a…. leading subordinate. He still had a fair say, but he was far from being the leader.

In 1918, in Northern France, there had been an excavation site where they discovered a strange element, which Maxis added to his periodic table. He dubbed it Divinium (Dv), with the atomic number 115. It was extremely powerful, enough to fuel Germany's armies for an eternity.

But it was rare. Extremely rare. In fact, there was a sudden small shortage of it from the labs over the past few weeks. That was a problem.

Group 935 had built four 1,000-foot-tall robots to patrol the large dig site, only possible because of the power of the Divinium. There had even been special armored suits designed for the excavation, specially equipped with a grappling claw and flamethrowers. They were true armored soldiers.

Soon, there had been a chamber discovered. Everything they tried couldn't open it. Explosives were suggested, but were quickly shut down due of the risk of destroying valuable ores or artifacts.

His surviving men hadn't elaborated the details, but somehow or another, they found an old phonograph as well as a few records. They played them purely out of boredom. Only the black record had somehow opened the chamber.

Underneath, they found a giant mechanism that seemed to be able to be rotated in certain parts, as well as four statues that seemed godly in nature at the bottom, each bearing a pedestal of different color; the same colors as the various records.

They had no idea just what else they unearthed.

Soon people were going missing, or later turned up dead, badly disfigured, or sick as if they had the plague. Many of them had been bedridden for over 12 hours, that is, if they were ever found. The ancient beasts that had caused it were infecting the whole site.

But everything went downhill from there. Even the special-suited workers were infected. Talk about a backfire.

Maxis shook himself from those thoughts, as he did not want to remember how those….. _abominations_ had destroyed the excavation site, or what the element had done to him. Such drastic measures one of his men had to take….

He looked on his desk, seeing a picture of his daughter, Samantha. He picked it up and looked at it longingly. Maxis was a busy man, and he hadn't had much time to spend with her.

Yes, he was able to provide some basic parental duties; food, water, shelter, and loving care. But when it came to true quality time, there just simply wasn't enough.

He put down the picture and leaned back in his chair. He gazed at his PhD and M.D. hanging above the doorway.

 _Knock, knock, knock._

Maxis leaned back further in his chair with a yawn, rubbing his face before sitting back up. Whoever this was, he hoped they'd make it quick. He had a headache.

"Come in," he said through gritted teeth.

As the door swung open with a faint creak, before him stood a fellow German scientist. In the crook of his arm was a clipboard, furiously scribbled with German notes.

He wore a Stasi hat, a tucked-in white dress shirt, complimented with a black tie (and blank tie pin), as well as a khaki Wehrmacht officer blouse decorated with two four-pronged golden arabesques on a scarlet backing. They were in their proper places on the blouse's collar, along with the shoulderboards made of silver Russia braids and Celleon resting on his shoulders.

Further down his uniform, he wore a small black radio on his chest near his left shoulder, as well as a gold-buckled satchel. Over his hands were black rubber gloves, along with German General Gabardine Jodhpurs and black jack boots.

On his hip was a holstered Luger P08 pistol, as well as a Maschinenpistole 40 (MP40) submachine gun strapped around his shoulder.

This man was Generalleutnant (Major General) Dr. Edward Richtofen, a longtime friend and coworker of Maxis since their time together at Heidelberg University, where they both received their M.D. and PhD.

Maxis had invited Edward to Der Riese as soon as he heard of the group's new headquarters being established, but Maxis hoped he wouldn't regret it due to Edward's… paranoia.

Edward had lost his parents later in his life, greatly saddening him. Maxis had met Edward one day, and a friendship soon sparked. Soon, Maxis had tried to be a father figure for him, often being there for him in his worst moments.

Pretty soon, Edward joined Maxis in Group 935, quickly fitting in (almost too quickly). Because of this, they were both at the excavation site in Northern France. They were two of the few surviving people of the incident, and the only ones in Group 935.

"Guten Morgen, Doctor," he greeted Maxis, giving a quick salute.

"Good morning, Edward. What is it you need?" Maxis said, relaxing at the sight of his old friend.

"I wanted to show you-"

The door opened again, and a young female scientist stepped through. Edward was noticeably annoyed with her presence.

"Doctor, I-" she began, but realized she was interrupting. "Oh. I…. I can come back….."

"It's fine, Sophia," Maxis said to his secretary, waving his hand dismissively. "What is it?"

"More messages from the front lines," she said casually as Edward rolled his eyes. "They need more weapons but are running out of spare money to fund us."

"Ah. Well, we'll either have to come up with something soon or cut ties. Our dry spell is causing complications," Maxis responded.

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about, Doctor," Edward cut in. Then he turned to Sophia, his blue eyes glaring at her. "You should go. Now."

Sophia cast an intimidated glance in her boss's direction. Maxis nodded and dismissed her.

"Doctor, I have 'water' for our dry spell, so to speak," Edward said, calmer and now looking at Maxis. "I can show it to you if you follow me."

Maxis nodded and got up. He followed Edward down the hall to the bowels of the facility. Once they got to the testing lab, they saw an object covered in a white sheet set on a table that was usually meant for chemical experiments with 115.

"What's under the sheet?" Maxis questioned curiously.

"An experiment. Doctor Maxis, feast your eyes," Edward said as he removed the sheet swiftly.

There before Maxis stood a peculiar firearm. It had a wooden stock, similar to the Karabiner 98 kurz (Kar98k) bolt-action German rifle. Its muzzle had a claw-like design to it. Under it was a grooved battery with a small wire protruding from the bottom. Near the stock, protruding out of the rather prominent barrel of the weapon was a tesla tube resembling a lightbulb.

On the side were similar tubes strewn about on the table, which Maxis could only assume was its ammunition. There was a handle on the body as well, which Maxis could tell served as a reload function.

"What is this?" Maxis asked, running his hand along the pronged muzzle. He picked it up, weighing it in his hands. It was no heavier than a service rifle.

Maxis could tell Edward had worked hard on this.

"It is a firearm of my own design, Doctor. I used some Element 115 from the lab," Edward admitted, eyeing Maxis's hands as if one wrong move would break the gun. "It's a Die Glocke project."

"So you're the one who took it?" Maxis asked, carefully setting the weapon down.

Edward shrugged sheepishly, reaching into his satchel. He retrieved a small vial of liquid Divinium. He held it out to Maxis. "That reminds me; this is what was leftover, Doctor."

Maxis took it, giving it a quick examination before pocketing it. He looked at Edward uncertainly.

"I'm not so sure about this, Edward. What does it do? Does it work?" Maxis questioned doubtfully, gesturing towards his friend's creation.

"I assure you that it does indeed work, Doctor Maxis. I've tested it," Edward answered.

Maxis still looked doubtful.

"Perhaps you need a demonstration," Edward suggested, putting up a thoughtful finger.

He picked up the surprisingly light firearm and loaded it on one motion, picking up three glass beakers and setting them down on the table. He the flicked the switch, lighting up every bulb with a bright electric blue.

He took a step back and closed one eye, aiming for the center beaker. A small, toothy smirk edged its way onto Edward's face, right as he squeezed the trigger.

What happened next could only be described as impossible.

Out of the pronged muzzle flew a bright, blue electricity that only a tesla coil could produce. It made contact with the beaker, making it shake violently. The electricity chained, causing all three beakers to eventually be engulfed in the electric aura, before violently shaking and exploding.

Both men shielded themselves with their forearms as the glass flew from the table. When the flash from the electricity was gone and the glass stopped flying, Edward and Maxis lowered their arms, seeing glass everywhere, as well as burn marks and ashes on the metal table. Edward used his arm to sweep the ashes off.

Maxis was absolutely speechless as he picked shards from the cotton fabric of his sleeves, and Edward smiled proudly.

"Edward… mein Gott…. das war erstaunlich!" Maxis cried, unconsciously switching to his native language.

Edward rested the weapon upright on the table as Maxis picked the glass from his uniform. Edward ignored the glass peppered on his own uniform as he folded his arms behind his back, beaming at Maxis. "You should see the effect it has on _lifeforms_ , Doctor Maxis."

Maxis raised an eyebrow. But Edward frowned.

"The problem is, I don't know what to call it. I have an idea, but I'm just not sure," Edward said, glancing up at Maxis as he poured over the weapon. "My hopes were to incorporate it into the Wonder Weapon program."

Maxis pondered for a moment. "What about _Gottes Zorn_?"

"' _God's Wrath'_? Very interesting," Edward said, scratching his chin. "Which one, though? I'm assuming you meant Zeus."

Maxis nodded. "Precisely. Or, if you prefer, it could be named after Kadaklan's dog, Kimat."

" _Kimat….. Kimat's Bite. That sounds good,"_ Edward pondered, a please smile dawning on his face.

While the idea of his weapon being named after a godly dog made out of lightning was pleasing, Edward had another idea in mind.

"I like it, but…..."

Maxis looked at him expectantly.

"...I was thinking…. the Wunderwaffe Die Glocke-2," Edward said.

 _Wonder Weapon Die Glocke-2. Brilliant._

Maxis eyes widened as he smiled. "Fitting. I congratulate you, Edward."

Edward set the newly-dubbed Wunderwaffe DG-2 on the table, examining it with steady eyes and shaky hands. He let out a shaky sigh.

"This will be…. the pinnacle of technology."

Maxis nodded in agreement.

Later that day, they both stood before the entire facility in the mainframe's courtyard, a wooden table sitting on the elevated platform. Resting on it was the Wunderwaffe, draped with a white sheet, as well as a synthetic human dummy.

Edward beamed at the crowd before him as Maxis rested a hand on his shoulder. Edward rubbed his hands together in anticipation as the last scientist filed into the crowd.

"My friends and fellow scientists, I have created a weapon that will revolutionize Germany's firearms. I give you, the Wunderwaffe Die Glocke-2!" Richtofen announced.

With great pride and enthusiasm, he gracefully yanked the sheet off of his creation. He discarded the sheet as the crowd was in awe.

He heaved the weapon into his arms and flipped the switch, lighting up the bulbs. He aimed at the dummy and pulled the trigger, feeling its moderate kick as the dummy was fried from the inside out.

The whole facility was in awe.

The next few days, Edward was bombarded with praise and congratulations, especially from Maxis.

A few days later, Edward sat in his office asleep, his head on the desk.

A knock on the open door woke the doctor.

"What…. what… yes…?" Edward mumbled intelligibly, a paper stuck to his face. He quickly took it off and glanced up to see Maxis in the doorway.

"Good morning, Edward," Maxis said.

"Good morning, Doctor Maxis," Edward replied sheepishly.

Maxis closed the door and smiled at Edward, looking like he was about to praise him. "You look well today. How did you sleep?"

Edward was slightly caught off guard by Maxis's question. They were close friends, but the question being asked was unusual in their interactions. Breakfast banter was different, but even that rarely happened. "Um….. I was just getting a nap in today."

"Ah. Good, good," Maxis nodded, looking down as if he were thinking. He looked up at Edward, his friendly smile still present, but more professional. "There's something we need to discuss."

Maxis took a seat in the guest chair as Edward asked what was so important.

"The DG-2 is incredible," Maxis explained. "It could be the world's most powerful weapon ever created, and that's thanks to you. I was thinking that we could mass-produce it and I came to see if we had your blessing, you being the creator, and all."

"So soon?" Edward asked, leaning forward and resting his chin on his fist.

"Yes, there are a few kinks that need to be corrected, but like I said, it's amazing. You said it yourself, it would revolutionize Germany's firearms."

"That was more for promotional purposes," Edward explained.

"I know. But it had truth. Your invention is truly incredible. More than the Ray Gun," Maxis praised once more.

" _Better than the DG-1?"_ Edward thought in surprise. _"Is that even possible?"_

Maxis seemed to know what he was thinking. "It's true, Edward. The Ray Gun was an accomplishment, but the DG-2 is the pinnacle of technology, your words. Mass-production would be the next leap forward."

"Would it not be conflicting to give Germany alone such a weapon?" Edward asked as the thought popped into his head.

"Not for _Germany_ , the _world_. If the beasts were to attack again, the DG-2, combined with the Perk-a-Colas? It would make us _invincible_ ," Maxis said, holding up a clenched fist for emphasis.

Maxis had leaned forward in excitement, quickly noticing this and clearing his throat before sitting back down.

"And like I said, we need your blessing."

Edward thought for a moment if this was truly what the world needed.

Yes, it could be used as a mean of defense. Something to repel the hordes if they dare attack.

But, a weapon of such power, more than that of an atomic cold cell battery-powered firearm, was near impossible. And Edward had made it possible. But men, as history showed, would bicker like children. It wouldn't matter if a whole town got one; there would always be the one left out.

It was like wealth. Wealth made men bicker, tarnishing friendships and relationships. And it brought out greed. And greed….. it destroyed.

" _Is this really what I wanted? Should I agree?"_ he thought.

His answer was found as he looked at his friend in front of him. The gaze he was met with was the borderline between encouraging and pleading. It was clear now.

 _Yes._

After a long silence, Edward sighed, pulling open a drawer. He silently retrieved a blueprint for what seemed to be the Wunderwaffe. Edward took it in both hands and looked at it with a sad glint in his eyes.

Then he slid it over to Maxis. "Nehmen Sie diese Macht, verwenden Sie es gut, mein freund."

"Excellent," Maxis said in an understanding tone but relieved. He shook Edward's hand, giving him a sympathetic look before standing up and checking his watch. "I must be going now. I just need you to make more ammunition, you need not worry about the 115 supply."

Edward nodded as Maxis left. But then, he stopped at the doorway. "Oh, and we also need reanimated corpses for testing. Get to work on that when you can."

Then he left.

Edward's jaw dropped to his desk.

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 **There you have it! Think of it as a gift before I head off to [CLASSIFIED]!**

 **Hardcore criticism and encouragement is appreciated. This is one chapter only, and is nothing more but a sneak peek. The full story is still in development (I'm still in the beginning of Verrückt! XD), and will not be done until probably 2017 after the full story has its "brackets", as Blundell has said.**

 **I appreciate you guys! (Love is such a strong word)**

 **Your Favorite** _ **Hollow Writer**_


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